


The Darkness Beneath Our Feet

by Onlymostydead



Series: Chosen Childhoods [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Child Soldier, Gen, Link's Childhood, Lonliness, Minor Character Death, Pre-Calamity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 19:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16624769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Link thought sometimes that the only memories he had alone with his father were with a sword. He was a quiet man, reserved, one might say, for the most part. Actions spoke louder than words, to him, and his actions certainly valued the blade.So Link snuck away, down to the water.





	The Darkness Beneath Our Feet

**Author's Note:**

> This was requested by yabanned (thank you!) on Tumblr! So... Yeah.

A sword was placed in Link's hands before he could even properly speak. It wasn't a thing he wanted to do, really. A two-year-old has no real interest in swordplay, but his father wanted him to be able to defend himself. He wanted him to be strong. He could vaguely remember his father and mother arguing about that, about whether or not he needed to learn to fight. In the end, his father won.

In fact, Link thought sometimes that the only memories he had alone with his father were with a sword. He was a quiet man, reserved, one might say, for the most part. Actions spoke louder than words, to him, and his actions certainly valued the blade. It wasn't long before he was drilling the basics of sword safety and fighting into his little head.

So Link snuck away, down to the water. They lived in the eastern wetlands, as he was growing up, close to the river. It was there he met Mipha, when he was four years old. She was so amazing to him that he couldn't speak for their whole first meeting. Sneaking back to his home became something he regularly did, coming home before his father would be disappointed that he missed his sword lesson.

So they trained. And trained. And years went by before Link began displaying any real talent, improvising in ways that his Father had never seen before. He changed his fighting style from that of the traditional Hyrule knight to something that more benefited his short stature.  
But Link never loved fighting. He loved picking flowers to weave into little crowns with his best friend, Mipha. He loved sneaking away and learning how to swim.

That was when his father began to leave on long trips to the castle. Link didn't mind, even though his mother had died a couple of years ago and there was no one else at home. He could cook for himself just fine, and keep the house in alright condition. It wasn't lonely as long as he kept sneaking down to the water.

Mipha, being older than him yet younger to the Zora, was just beginning her weapons training. She had to spend hours practicing with the spear, just as he did with the sword.  
So they practiced together. Both of them grinning, Mipha's sharp teeth glinting in the sun, Link's unruly blonde curls bouncing in his face.

"Come on, try to get me!" Link taunted, taking a step backwards, brandishing the wooden training spear in hands.

Mipha smirked. "I'm waiting for a reason, you know."

Scoffing, Link tried a little jab at her right side. Apparently, that's what she was waiting for. Instantly the spear was flying out of his hands, he was knocked on the ground, and Mipha was standing over him, laughing.

She reached down a hand to help him. "You're quite impatient you know. That's your biggest problem fighting."

Link dusted himself off, then accepted her hand. "Yeah, well you're too patient."

Mipha laughed. "I don't think that's how it works."

"Yeah, well I do." He grinned, hopping over to grab his spear. "Teach me how to do that."

"I just learned it today, I'm not sure I know if quite right-"

"Teach me." Link interrupted, nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. "I'm sure it won't be too bad."

So she did, and Link learned how to parry with a spear and disarm an enemy in that single motion. A tugging sensation at the back of his head tried to put together how he would mirror that with a sword, or if his opponent had a sword. It would be different, yes, but the principle was the same. He would have to show that to his father, when he came back home from the castle.  
Link wondered when that would finally be, though. These days his trips to the castle had been getting longer and longer, with shorter breaks in between. Sometimes he was only there a day or two, then he was gone again.

"You okay?" Mipha asked, patting him on the shoulder.

Link shrugged. "Yeah, I just miss my dad."

She frowned, then sat down on the grass. "You know, you could come spend the night in Zora's Domain. You wouldn't be so lonely there. Besides, you could meet my other friends. And my dad."

"Really?" Link flopped down next to her, sitting straight up. "But... What if my father gets home while I'm gone?"

"I hadn't thought about that." 

Mipha bit at her lip ever so slightly, her face scrunching up in concentration. "You could always write a note."

"Yeah, but..." Link sighed. "Okay. Let's go!"

***

They were all fast friends: Rivan, Bazz, Link, and Mipha were so inseparable that they could almost be referred to as one individual entity. They played together, fought together, and trained together. When one of them fell, another was there to pick them back up and Mipha was there to fix it.

That was something Link was still amazed at, as he grew older. Mipha's magic continued to get stronger and stronger, until it barely took any concentration at all for her to heal minor wounds. 

Then things started to change. Mipha started having to train more often, and Link's father would come home more periodically. Link's swordsmanship was excellent by this time, but all he really wanted to do was go back down to see Mipha and his other friends.

"You aren't going to be able to see them for a while, Link." His father answered when he asked, already re-packing his saddle bags.

Link frowned. "Why not?"

"You're coming with me, to the castle." He didn't meet Link's eyes as he spoke. "You've reached the age where the military will have use of you, and you'd benefit from the more formal training."

So many things spiraled through Link's head that he wanted to scream. He didn't want to go to the castle; he wanted to stay here. He wasn't old enough to be a soldier. He was only eleven! But all of those words went unsaid as Link swallowed his anger and nodded.

"May I at least go and say goodbye?" He whispered, voice breaking.

Link's father turned to him with soft eyes, then gave him a single nod. "Get about it, though. We need to leave tonight."

Nodding, Link grabbed his bag, an apple, and rushed away from the house. As quickly as he could he ran towards Zora's Domain, heart pounding, lungs aching.  
He slipped and fell, scraping his hands and knees. Blinking the tears out of his eyes, Link got up and kept running. He didn't know why he was so afraid, but images seemed to flash before his eyes. Something dark and awful seemed to curl around his heart, screaming and ripping him apart. It growled, pulsing beneath his feet. The people of castle town laughed at him, just like last time he was there, when he mentioned the fairies he sees in the forest. Shivers ran up and down his spine, giving him a nasty feeling that he wasn't alone. A bright light, searing through him.

When Link arrived at Zora's Domain he was panting, his lungs on fire and his legs shaking like a chuchu. When he opened his mouth he found himself unable to say a word.  
Just like in castle town. He had pointed out the forest creature, a korok, that he saw, and all the other children have him a strange look. Then, all of a sudden, they started laughing. The meanest of them assured him they were too old for make-believe games. The nicest just snickered. At first he insisted that it was there, but he couldn't prove it. They couldn't touch the creature, couldn't see it. He was more alone there than he was back home.

That's when his voice left him the first time. He opened his mouth to defend himself again, and nothing came out. It was as if his throat had swollen closed, or frozen solid. He wasn't able to speak again until they were back home, weeks after the incident.

Link mimed Mipha to the guards as well as he could: small, crown, and then a shrug as if to ask 'where'? They pointed him in the direction of the palace training guards, so he continued his running. Finally, he saw her.  
Falling at her feet, Link began to sob. He couldn't do anything else, couldn't speak, couldn't open his eyes because he was too afraid. That burning light felt as if it was searing itself into his soul.

"What is it, Link? What's wrong?" Mipha dropped her spear, and began to check him for injuries.

Link only shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

He choked out a sob, then tried to mime it out.

Me: he pointed at himself. Away: he pointed back in the direction of the plains.

"You have to go?"

Link nodded, and repeated the actions with shaking hands. Mipha grabbed him, hugging him with all her might. 

"Stay safe." She whispered.

Link nodded.

"Do you have to go now?"

He nodded again.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, but she nodded again. "Alright. Come visit me soon, okay?"

Link started to cry harder. How did he know if he would be able to visit? He couldn't know, and what if he wasn't? Would he be able to contact her at all, or would he lose his only friends?

"And if you can't, remember to write." She tucked a lock of Link's hair behind his ear. "Come, I'll walk you home."

That night, as he and his father camped about halfway to the castle, Link went over his training routine. The scrapes he had from falling hurt his hands as he gripped his practice sword and spear, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Let the blood stain the hilt. 

***

The smell of the various street vendors foods was one of the only things keeping Link sane as he and his father wormed their way through castle town. His father was a tall man, and in his full array of Hyrule soldier armor people tended to let him through. A bit more difficult, however, was being the scrawny eleven year old who followed him. Link had always taken after his late mother, all blonde hair and short stature. It would be easy enough to follow... If Link could see over the average person's head. As if was, finding his father had quickly become an impossible task.

Merchants and locals and soldiers intermingled freely, each with their own sights and smells and textures, confusing Link as he tried to make sense of everything. He kept his bag over his shoulder, one hand gripping its strap the other keeping hold of his practice weapons, holding them close to his body and upright.

"Watch it!"

"Careful with that!"

"Hey!"

"What are you doing?"

"Move it, kid!"

"Watch where you're going!"

Link tried to apologize, but just as he expected, no words came out. He hadn't been able to speak since last night, when he ran to Zora's Domain. All of his friends had said goodbye there; Mipha hugging him tightly, Bazz punching him in the arm and telling him not to die, and Rivan crying more than he did, even. He missed the quiet mix of people in Zora's Domain, the polite way everyone moved around each other even as they sold their wares. He missed his home, and how the only ones to keep him company there were the cow and the cuccos.

But more than anything, he missed his friends. All he wanted to do was go back to them, even if Mipha didn't have much time anymore and Bazz would start his military training next spring.

"Careful!"

Someone pulled Link out of the way of a horse-drawn cart, shocking him out of his thoughts. 

"Where are you going?" The considerate stranger asked.

Link's lip only quivered.

"Have you lost your parents?"

He nodded.

"What do they look like?"

Taking in a deep breath, Link mined his father as well as he could. Dark hair and beard. Tall. Soldier. It was when he mines the captains sash that the strangers eyes went wide in realization.

"You're the Captain's child?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, there's only one place he'd be headed with you." The stranger crouched down. "Climb onto my shoulders! It'll be the quickest way to the palace."

Link was grateful for once that he was small, as he climbed onto the strangers shoulders. Quickly they parted their way through the crowd, as if this was something they'd done a million times before.

"Now, straighten your shirt before you meet them, alright?" They instructed as they let Link down onto the ground. "And be sure you don't faint easy. He's quite an imposing figure, even since... Well, never mind. Keep your wits about you."

Unsure of what they meant, Link nodded. Taking a deep breath the fill himself with courage, he pressed on to find his father.

***

When Link found him, it was in front of a set of double doors. As soon as he caught sight of him his father leapt forward, grasping him tight in his arms. Then, quickly, he pulled away.

"We're already late." He said, as if reminding himself, fixing the collar of Link's shirt and tucking it in. "But I think that's as presentable as you'll get. If only I could do something about that hair of yours, Hylia bless your mothers curls..."

He let that thought trail as he stood up, straightened his posture, then knocked. The doors swung open, and Link was captivated.

The first thing that hit him was all the red. Rich carpets the color of blood spread out on the floor, with golden embroidery decorating the edges in beautiful flourishes. The pillars along the walls were white marble, carved into figures and stories. Sculptures and art lined the walls, and a golden chandelier cast a warm glow over the whole great hall. Stairs led up to a giant throne, and there sat the King.  
He was a tall, broad man with a curly brown beard going white with age. His pale face was wrinkled and creased, not entirely in a kind way; deep frown lines were etched by his mouth, his forehead creased down the middle. Extravagant clothing covered him from neck to toe, only his rough hands and head were exposed amongst all the ruffled fabric and velvet coat.

Next to him sat Princess Zelda, but she wasn't what he expected her to be at all. Sure, her blonde hair was cut crisp where it fell over her eyes, her face round and delicate. Her clothes, every bit as fine as her father's, were a dark blue that managed to make her look even more ghostly pale. But it was the way she sat, hands folded and back perfectly straight, that made Link wonder.  
She was nothing like Mipha. Mipha, who though she was a princess, was able to run around and have fun. Mipha always had a flush on her cheeks, her jewelry was always just the slightest bit askew. No, she wasn't like that at all. When Link looked at Zelda, he got the sense that she was just sad. He didn't know about what, but he knew she was.

Silently, he wondered where the Queen was, or if Princess Zelda was like him.

Their meeting was over quickly, himself ignoring most of what the King and his father said to each other in hushed words. He was busy thinking of how long he'd be stuck here, and if he would start looking as sad as the Princess did now.

***

Link had one day off to get situated, then he began training with the knight's apprentices. It frustrated him, working with them, because the rules never seemed to make sense. He wasn't allowed to use moves and naneuvers that he had already learned or come up with, he could only use what he had been taught by the instructors. It was maddening.  
At least their training didn't last all day, though. Link had enough free time that he didn't know what to do with himself sometimes. He took to drawing, sketching the different things he saw around the castle, or the things he used to see back home. Though, he was careful to hide his sketches of the dragons, fairies, and koroks. If the other apprentices saw them, he was worried they would shun him entirely. Already it was lonely, not having gotten his voice back yet. He was learning Hyrule sign language, as all knights would have to know in order to communicate silently, but it was painfully slow, and the others didn't pick up on it as quickly as he did.

He wondered, sometimes, if he would ever belong, or if he actually wanted to.

Already he thought he was beginning to look sadder, but he hadn't lost all color in his cheeks yet.

***

Within a year Link was moved up to working with the adult knights. He was still small, so short that it was difficult for them to spar with him, but no one could deny his talent. While fighting brought him no real joy, the praise from his father did mean quite a bit to him. It was... Straining. The pressure of being the son of the Captain of the Kings Guard, combined with being a twelve year old prodigy?

Speaking out loud wasn't something he had been able to do in well over a year, since he left his home back in the wetlands. Even when he felt like he could, he was too worried he would say the wrong thing. What if he disgraced his father? Or worse, the king? So he stayed silent, as the stoic twelve year old prodigy.

But that was when the reports came back from the woods, messengers flying in at top speeds, demanding that they see the King as soon as possible. That was all Link could hear, anyway. Other Knights and townspeople and apprentices were swarmed closer than he was, bustling and pushing to hear what was being said.

Murmurs of the words 'sword,' 'hero,' and 'darkness' reached his ears, leaving Link wanting to hear more. He would have to ask his father, when he got the chance. For now, he was too far away, standing right next to the king himself.  
And there was the Princess, standing taller and paler than before, possibly more sadness in her deep green eyes. Link had to look away from her, unable to stand how cold she looked. If she were not a princess with everything she could possibly need, Link would consider offering her a coat.

Then all of the troops were sent back to the barracks to pack their things for a journey, beginning the long trek up to the dread Lost Woods.

"By why? What's up there?" Link set down his bag to ask.

His father raised a thick eyebrow. "You haven't heard?"

He shook his head, and continued piling things into his small satchel.

"The heroes sword has been found, the sword that seals the darkness." He explained over his shoulder, "Now is the time the late Queen prophesied that the evil would come back, more or less."

"So we have to go take it? Why is everyone going then?"

His father laughed. "The sword isn't so easily taken. It's said that even touching it will do great harm to the wrong person."

Link frowned. "So we're trying to find the right person?"

"Precisely. Now finish quickly, we're marching before sundown." He sighed. "I can only hope it's not... Never you mind."

***

The journey to the Lost Woods would have been lonely... If Link were alone. He was as isolated as ever by his peers, the adults being wary of him, the apprentices afraid, but at least he was not entirely void of company. The koroks, as they traveled, seemed to gain in number, more and more adding to them along the way. They sang as they walked, joining the group and dancing among them with their rattling bodies and rustling leaves. Only the horses seemed to see them, whinnying and stepping out of their way. The riders were confused by this, but most accounted it to the legends of the Lost Woods.  
It's a known fact that those who wander into the forest never return, or if they do they've been... Changed. People used to come out with stories of fairies and dragons and talking trees. Link wondered if they were telling the truth, as he glanced down at a small korok, dancing alongside his horse. Or maybe he was seeing things, just like they did. Either way, with the misty gloom and dark appearance of the woods people had deemed it evil. They said you could see the glowing eyes of a masked king from ages gone by, or the evil eyes of some foul beast glowing in the shadows.

"You're sure it's safe to go in there?"

"Is the sword there, or are the scouts just trying to kill us all?"

"They wouldn't do that, I'm sure..."

"I only wish the King and Princess were not with us, we don't need o lose any more of the royal line."

"Claimed by the Woods, we'll all be. No doubts 'bout it."

Knights whispered amongst themselves, scared of seeming weak but more terrified of the forest. No one wanted to go in, especially as the fog drifted closer, trailing about their feet.  
Link found a certain calm in the air with the scent of the woods, just like the pines that grew near Zora's Domain. The smell made him miss his friends, but thinking of them gave him a sort of courage. He would enter the woods, but he knew that he would come back. For them, if nothing else.

Before long, knights were given torches to light the way, and Link's father, riding beside a Rito scout, began to lead them. The crowd moved slowly through the haunting forest, making everyone feel anxious. Whenever they stopped, which was often, chills ran down Link's spine. The trees seemed to laugh and jeer at him, taunting him to come closer and fight. And yet, the koroks still jingled peacefully by his horses feet, which assured him the whispers were not real. If they were, surely the little forest fairies would be afraid.

And yet... As he drew closer he felt it again. The tug in his gut, the pounding of his chest. A darkness seemed to tear through him, it's glowing eyes string him down in the fog. At the same time, a light! Burning through him, tearing him apart then piecing him back together in a different shape.

Link flicked his reigns and kept going, following the group.

***

Knight after knight grabbed ahold of the sword, and each let go faster than the last. The group had started almost excited, entering a bright clearing after so long in the dark, seeing the famed sword in its resting place, but the anticipation died quickly. One soldier, a woman nearing the end of her service, held onto the sword until she passed out, near dead. The sword didn't kill her, but there was no promises that it wouldn't kill someone else.  
Looking at the blood draining from her nose, eyes, and mouth, Link wondered if there was hope for anyone. The crowd seemed to have fallen into an uncomfortable silence, horses stamping at the ground, soldiers holding their breath or whispering prayers. And yet, the sunshine seemed to draw him closer, that burning light dragging him towards the sword. 

Finally, after so many had gone before him and failed, it was Link's turn. He had ended up somewhere near the back of the line, where the soldiers spoke in anxious whispers and prayers that Hylia above would spare them. A young boy, probably not quite his age yet, was crying.

Taking a deep breath, he dismounted his horse and placed his helmet on her saddle. Stopping to pat her on the neck like a final goodbye, he moved forward to the sword. His legs seemed to move on their own, dragging him closer. A glance over his shoulder showed him his father, deep in prayer, at his place next to the King. The King frowned, his face more wrinkled and his beard more white than Link had remembered before. Next to him, Princess Zelda stood with her mouth drawn in a tight line, her green eyes almost glowing.  
Swallowing his fear, Link focused once more on the sword. He stepped forward, knelt, and put his hands on the hilt.

***

Stark white.

The floor was covered in a shallow layer of water, the sword in its place in the stone, but the forest faded away. Everything else around him was that same stark white.

Except the tree.

It was the great tree, the one in the center of the clearing. Among the knots and branches it had the face of an old man, breathing deeply as if in slumber.

Then, he opened his mouth.

"You have done well, young one." The Great Tree said in a low, calm voice, yet there was a hint of worry there, too. "You have found the sword, and have taken hold."

Link looked around, but saw no one else around him. The tree was talking to him.

He laughed. "You are the chosen one, Link. If you choose to take the sword, you will be the one to save Hyrule... But..." He trailed off, his giant mouth curving into a frown. "You may turn back. In the end, it is your choices that decide. I cannot force you to choose."

Taking a deep breath, Link glanced over his shoulder once more. He could picture his mother, smiling at him dimly. Next to her was his father, still praying. Beside him, as always, was the King, in all his regal array.  
But there, solid as he was, was Princess Zelda. Her eyes were trained on the tree, staring up at him in awe.

"You too, Princess." The tree said, turning his attention to her. "You are one of the authors of our future. Our fate rests in both of your hands."

Just like that, everything went pitch black.

***

In the end, he didn't really have a choice. It was take it, or let the world down.

Link gripped the hilt of the sword, and pulled it from the ground. It was heavy, but not unbearably so. In fact, the balance felt perfect in his hand. A noise, a kind of gleam or glow, came from the blade.  
Slashing it twice, Link tested the feel of it in his hand. The hilt was perfect to his hand, if a bit too large. Swinging it around, it felt only natural to slide it into its hilt, which he could now feel on his back.

Where it came from, he had no idea; the forest was magic, after all. It felt only right that it be there now. Slowly, he turned around to face the crowd.

Soldiers cheered, grinning from ear to ear. Those who had already gone whooped and yelled, those who had not gone yet sighed in relief. The king clapped his great hands together, smiling up at the sky. His father wept, kneeling down on the ground. But Princess Zelda stared with wide eyes, hands clasped over her heart.

Tears were in her eyes.

***

Everything changed after that moment. The weapon was perfect, aiding Link in all his sword training, making it feel nearly impossible to lose. Still, he had to be careful, but it was as if the blade filled him with a kind of energy and alertness. Other soldiers began to be wary of sparring with him, humiliated by being bested by a mere twelve year old.

And yet... He stopped being twelve very soon. No longer was he the son of the Captain of the guard, he was the Hero, the one who bears The Sword that Seals the Darkness. People didn't speak to him to begin with, but now? Now they avoided him at all costs. He was untouchable, and completely alone.

Lonely. Worse than it had ever been.

Link wondered if Zelda felt the same way, with the pressure on her to be the one who can seal the darkness away for good. It was maddening, being so alone. He hoped she didn't feel the same way, but at the same time... It would be nice to have someone to share the burden with.

***

As time went by, it stopped bothering Link. He hadn't spoken in years, but he was sixteen now and no one here remembered the sound of his voice except his father. He worried about Link, he knew that, but he was so busy that he didn't have the time. That didn't bother him anymore, he was used to being alone.  
That was when the Princess was given her appointed knight, chosen by the King himself to protect her. It was an honor above all others, and every knight was talking about it for weeks before the announcement came. They performed acts of variance, hoping to earn the King's favor.

Link knew what would happen. He knew like the searing light that pounded in his chest, like the untamed darkness that seemed to spiral beneath his feet. The end was coming closer, and Hylia was collecting the pieces for her war.  
When the King called his name, he expected it, and stepped forward as if rehearsed. He wondered still, just like he had for the past four years, if the Princess was lonely. He wondered if he could stay with her, keep her company. He wondered if this would make him less alone too.

But she stood there, cold as ever, a sharp frown on her lips. Her piercing eyes seemed to burrow into him, brows drawn down in anger.

Link was surprised to see tears welling up in her eyes, even as she knighted him. That expression reminded him so much of when they first saw each other, and when they were together in that stark white place of the forest. She was just as lonely as he was, maybe worse. He only hoped that he could help.

And yet... The cold stare. The anger in her expression, the bitterness in her voice as she knighted him. Even if they were with each other, even if he was tasked with staying by her at all times, they would both be alone.

And the light seemed to flash between them, the darkness spiraling under them both.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at Supertinywords! I am open for one more oneshot request this month <3
> 
> Comments are love!


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